The voices of Central Minnesota homeless people were heard in St. Cloud this April thanks to the efforts of St. Cloud State University social work students.
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The students in Shelia Moriarty’s Social Work 410 class spent spring semester interviewing homeless people and taking down their stories.
They presented the testimonials in poster form at a Voices of Homelessness event April 16 in the university’s Welcome Center.
These individuals really want their stories heard, said student Abbie Hertzog, Winsted. “… The participant my partner and I interviewed was very eager to talk.”
There are many myths about homelessness. People become homeless because of a variety of circumstances, and they face many barriers to becoming housed again, she said.
Students shared the stories they collected at the event, which also featured a craft/artisan sale with the proceeds going to Project 325, a program that supports homeless youth in Central Minnesota.
Silent auction
A silent auction is running through noon May 4 on the Voices of Homelessness Facebook page to sell the remaining items from the Voices of Homelessness event.
Bidders can make their bids by describing the item and their bid in an email to Sheila Moriarty at [email protected].
The group raised $1,500 at the craft fair. Voices of Homelessness is having a silent auction of the remaining items on its Facebook page through May 4.
“Being a part of this project was an amazing experience,” Hertzog said. “I have never done anything like this before. … It felt really great to feel like we are making a difference in the community and people’s lives.”
She encourages others to make a difference in the lives of homeless people — even if they can’t contribute financially — by interacting with them so they don’t feel isolated.
“Just letting them know that they are not invisible can make a large difference,” Hertzog said.
Some of the students involved also reached out to area homeless youth through Mary Pfohl’s group work practice class, where they worked with homeless youth at the Salvation Army. The students led small support groups.
The exercise gave students an opportunity to experience the challenges of working with a transient population as well as to see the day-to-day challenges faced by homeless families and the impact it has on kids, Pfohl said.
